


love is a ghost you can't control

by punkpete



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, College AU, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, There's a bit of swearing, This is DUMB, a bit of groping, and eyefucking i guess, dumb fandom related jokes, i hope u enjoy it anyway, lots of banter, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 20:34:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9921191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punkpete/pseuds/punkpete
Summary: Emma holds her breath when she hears footsteps, the knob turning before the door swings open and she’s looking up into unfairly blue eyes.“Can I help you?” He asks, raising a perfectly groomed eyebrow at her. His eyes tell her that he’s curiously cautious, but his smile seems warm and inviting.“Um. Hi. I’m Emma Swan, I live across the hall. I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor.” Emma replies, biting her lip nervously and swaying on her feet.“Well, I’m a gentleman so I suppose I’ll consider it. Killian Jones, by the way. The pleasure is mine. What do you need?” Killian says, his smile widening and his teeth gleaming. He reaches out a hand for Emma to shake.





	

**Author's Note:**

> hiiiiii friends im back with another tiny drabble for another fandom wow
> 
> title of this fic is from the words by christina perri which u should TOTALLY listen to if you haven't because colin is in the music video and he looks like a lumberjack but hes still super cute u know just do it aye!!
> 
> thanks for reading this stupid college au i may be persuaded to make a sequel with actual plot if any of u want it but i doubt u will
> 
> love yall bye

>>>

 

Logically, Emma knows this is a stupid idea. But it seems like the most plausible course of action when she has an exam tomorrow morning and she can’t sleep in her dorm room. Might as well knock on the door across the hall and ask for a favor, right?

 

She tightens her hand on the strap of her backpack and lifts the other to hit the door with her knuckles. The thing is, she’s only seen the man who lives across the hall a handful of times. They’ve never spoken, but she knows he’s a couple years ahead of her.

 

She also knows he throws a lot of parties, but the noise coming from his room seems nonexistent tonight. Emma holds her breath when she hears footsteps, the knob turning before the door swings open and she’s looking up into unfairly blue eyes.

 

“Can I help you?” He asks, raising a perfectly groomed eyebrow at her. His eyes tell her that he’s curiously cautious, but his smile seems warm and inviting.

 

“Um. Hi. I’m Emma Swan, I live across the hall. I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor.” Emma replies, biting her lip nervously and swaying on her feet.

 

“Well, I’m a gentleman so I suppose I’ll consider it. Killian Jones, by the way. The pleasure is mine. What do you need?” Killian says, his smile widening and his teeth gleaming. He reaches out a hand for Emma to shake.

 

“Nice to meet you. Honestly, I’ll do anything to make it up to you. Whatever you want. My roommate is having her boyfriend over tonight, and I have an important test tomorrow. You don’t even want to know how disgusting and loud they are. Anyways, would you mind if I slept on your floor? You won’t even know I’m there.” Emma rambles, cutting off when their palms connect.

 

She looks down at their hands, not sure whether to be horrified or mesmerized by how much bigger his hands are than hers. They’re also unusually soft. She shakes her head and drops her hand, looking back up at him pleadingly.

 

“I love it when they say that. I’ll definitely know you’re there, but feel free to sleep in my roommate’s bed. He’s gone till Monday. Besides, the floor is incredibly uncomfortable.” Killian concedes, taking a step back and holding the door open for her.

 

Emma slips inside, careful to avoid touching and letting her eyes wander across the dorm. It’s the same as hers, it just smells like cologne and is covered in band posters. Weirdly organized for two guys sharing a room in college.

 

“Which bed is mine? Can you change the sheets?” Emma inquires, taking a seat at the desk chair and setting her backpack on the floor by her feet.

 

Killian walks to the bed closest to Emma, on the left side of the room, and starts removing the covers until it’s down to the box spring.

 

“Shouldn’t be a problem. Luckily, I’m the one who does the laundry ‘round here. I’ve got extra sheets and blankets stashed in my dresser.” Killian states, sheets collected in his arms as he walks to his side of the room to throw them in the hamper.

 

“You’re surprisingly neat and tidy for a frat boy.” Emma laughs, but she really isn’t complaining. She wouldn’t want to offend him and end up sleeping in the hallway.

 

“What makes you think I’m a frat boy? I’m pretty sure I’m the opposite, in fact.” Killian scoffs, tucking in the corners of the sheets under the mattress before shaking out the duvet and spreading it across the bed evenly. He looks over his shoulder at her, waiting for her response.

 

“I’ve heard things. You throw a lot of parties, you’re friends with a lot of the other frat boys on campus. Although, you don’t dress like them, which is refreshing. What’s with the leather pants?” Emma refrains from looking at his lower half. It’s a near thing.

 

“I’m acquaintances with them. I’m only friends with my roommate. He’s one. I’m not big on the parties he throws, but I go along with it. It’s not like I’ve got anywhere else to go. You shouldn’t believe everything you hear, Swan.” Killian sits on his bed and crosses his arms over his chest, giving her a considering look.

 

“I’ve never met anyone who calls me Swan before. Also, you never answered my question about the pants.” Emma has to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

 

“Maybe the nickname will catch on. As for the leather trousers, let’s just say I lost a bet. It’s a long story.” Killian grimaces, as if he’s remembering how he wound up wearing them.

 

“You’ll have to tell me it sometime. Feel free to knock on my door the next time your friend throws a party. I do owe you a favor, after all. I should get studying for my test tomorrow.” Emma sighs, leaning down to unzip her backpack and pull out her textbook and her notes.

 

“I’ll keep that in mind. Do you want any help studying? I’m great with flash cards, if you have any.” Killian smiles widely as he takes off his boots and sets them by the foot of his bed. He stands and rolls his sleeves up to his elbows. So fucking charming. It’s infuriating, Emma thinks.

 

“Sure. I need all the assistance I can get.” Emma says, taking her flash cards off their ring and handing them to him as they make themselves comfortable on her bed for the night.

 

So this is how she ends up sitting on a bed with her thigh pressed against a relative stranger, talking about science. Sadly, Killian’s major is English, so he’s fairly useless unless he’s reading the flash cards back to her. This goes on for an hour or two, before Emma decides to call it quits.

 

“It’s getting late, I should probably get some rest soon.” Emma tucks a lock of hair behind her ear as she collects the cards from him, putting them back on the ring and tucking them back into her bag along with her textbook and notes.

 

“It’s almost eleven, shit. You’re right. Time flies when you’re having fun.” Killian chuckles, getting up from her bed and stretching.

 

“You think studying is fun?” Emma’s voice sounds incredulous, even to her own ears.

 

“With you it is, yeah. I find you fascinating, to be honest.” Killian admits, looking down at his feet and scratching the back of his neck.

 

“I don’t know whether to be mildly freaked out or flattered. Are you saying you’ve been paying attention to me before we met?” Emma asks, her eyebrows raised as she takes off her jacket and pulls off her sneakers. It leaves her in her pair of blue jeans and a black tank top. It’s not completely comfortable, but it’ll have to do.

 

“I mean, yes. Have you seen yourself? You’re gorgeous. I was trying not to be forward, and I’d hoped you’d come to me first. Looks like the universe is on my side.” Killian’s cheeks look a bit red, and Emma is suddenly hopelessly endeared by his earnestness.

 

“Thank you. It must be.” Emma replies, her own face feeling hot. She never was good at accepting compliments.

 

“Do you want something to eat before you go to sleep?” Killian offers, heading over to the mini fridge in the corner. Emma hadn’t even noticed it.

 

“Sure. What’ve you got?” Emma says, leaning back against the wall and dangling her feet off the edge of the bed.

 

“Mostly desserts. I’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth. Chocolate strawberries, cake, and cookie dough ice cream.” Killian lists, bent over the fridge so Emma can’t help that her eyes are drawn to his leather-clad ass. Goddamn it.

 

“Cookie dough, please. You have good taste, sir.” Emma teases, looking up at the ceiling where glow and the dark star stickers are scattered.

 

“Oh, now you’re calling me sir? Seems we both are awfully fond of weird nicknames.” Killian laughs, shutting the fridge and getting a plastic spoon before handing her the small pint of ice cream and sitting next to her. Maybe a little too close for comfort.

Emma pops the lid off and steals the spoon from his grasp with no resistance. She scoops across the flat surface of the white ice cream and when she lifts it up, she can see a wonderful chunk of cookie dough right in the middle of it. Comfort food is a totally effective method of therapy, she swears.

 

“How come you’ve only got one spoon?” Emma asks, as she shoves the bite of ice cream into her mouth a little too forcefully. The possibility for brain freeze is irrelevant in this moment.

 

“Steal them from the cafeteria. All utensils, really. We’ve just run out today, as you can see.” Killian eyes the pint in her hand longingly. Emma almost feels bad. _Almost._

 

“I didn’t peg you for a pirate.” Emma teases, licking her lips and shoving the plastic spoon back into the ice cream before looking up to meet his eyes.

 

“First off, taking plastic utensils from the college I attend is a hell of a lot different than sailing the seas and stealing treasure, or whatever. Also, how would that even work? I’m allergic to rum.” Killian snorts, leaning his chin on his palm. He looks as if he wants to stick his tongue out at her in protest. She wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.

 

“Mmm, sure. You’ve got the leather pants, though. My point is, you’re a thief, you wear a lot of jewelry, and I’d bet you’re an Aqua. I’m good at reading people. Correct me if I’m wrong?” Emma says, a smug smile spreading across her face when he looks at her with his mouth hanging open in shock.

 

“Last I checked, petty theft doesn’t make me a pirate. The leather pants aren’t an everyday occurrence, I swear. The jewelry I’ll admit I like. I am an Aquarius, weirdly enough, but I don’t understand how that’s relevant to you proving I was a pirate in another life, or something.” Killian sighs, clearly not pleased with being mercilessly teased.

 

“What about the boots?” Emma smirks, giggling into the pint and scraping the side of it to get more ice cream on her spoon.

 

“Is a man not allowed to like boots? I’m insulted, really. You ridiculing my fashion sense is very distressing -” Emma rolls her eyes and cuts him off mid-sentence by shoving the spoon into his mouth. He looks startled, but he easily licks the spoon and pulls it slowly out of his mouth. Emma watches his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows, before he gives her an inquiring look.

 

“What’d you do that for?” Killian groans, but if she isn’t mistaken, she’s pretty sure he’s holding back a grin.

 

“I wanted you to shut up and I thought it was a nice way of telling you to do so, since you were eyeing the ice cream you gave me earlier. You can’t complain, really.” Emma states, flicking her hair over her shoulder and raising her eyebrow at him in challenge.

Killian shakes his head, dipping the spoon into the container before putting it in front of her face.

 

“Open up for the airplane!” He coos, in his best imitation of a baby voice.

 

“Should I be worried by how good you are at speaking like that?” Emma asks, before reluctantly leaving her mouth open so he can place the bite inside. She grabs hold of the spoon as soon as he lets go and pulls it out of her mouth, before looking down at the contents of the container. It’s mostly empty now, what’s left at the bottom looks like soup.

 

“It’s a gift.” Killian replies, pulling her out of her despair at the aspect of no more cookie dough goodness.

 

“You’re telling me you’re good at impressions?” Emma scrunches up her face in disbelief.

 

“No. I just like kids, therefore I’m good at doing that voice.” Killian beams, leaning further into her space. Emma feels weirdly warm and comfortable with him this close now.

 

“You know they say you shouldn’t speak to kids that way. It stunts their learning, and it’s not good to talk down to them, anyways. The voice might sound cute, but it’s basically useless.” Emma spits out the fact without thinking it through first. Way to make a lighthearted conversation serious, Emma.

 

“Are you minoring in psychology or something?” Killian chuckles, placing a careful hand on her knee. She leans forward, careful not to displace his light touch as she sets the spoon in the carton and places it on the carpeted floor before sitting back up and turning to look at him.

 

“No. Sorry. I just read it somewhere.” Emma scratches the back of her neck nervously, she can hear her pulse pounding in her ears when he’s touching her. He must be able to sense her unease, because he moves his hand up to her shoulder and rubs a circle into her bicep with his thumb a few times.

 

“No need to apologize. It’s good to know, for future reference, yeah?” Killian whispers, like he doesn’t want to disturb the silence surrounding them any longer. Emma doesn’t even remember what they were talking about when she can feel his breath on her neck, his fingers on her bare skin. She feels a bit reckless, but she can’t bring herself to regret it tonight.

 

Emma turns her head, close enough now that their noses touch, and she swears her heart skips a beat when she sees the way he’s looking at her. Like she’s the only person that exists. Like nothing else matters in this moment. As if the world isn’t outside this tiny dorm room. She knows that it is. But she wants to forget, if only for a few minutes.

 

Emma isn’t sure who leans forward first, but suddenly his hands are on her hips, and she winds her arms around his neck as their lips connect for the first time. It’s just a chaste press of lips at first, neither of them moving. She feels like she’s holding her breath, waiting for him to make the next move. She pulls back a little, to look into his eyes again, and ends up cradling his face in her hands. Killian’s stubble scrapes against her intoxicatingly when he leans back in, rubbing her face a bit raw in the process, but she couldn’t care less.

 

He swipes his tongue along the seam of her lips, and she opens her mouth quickly, letting him delve inside. Emma whimpers against him, slanting their mouths together roughly, again and again. They part with a wet, hot suck, and then Killian’s gently laying her down against the pillow, making room for himself between her legs. He looms over her, a soft hand against the back of her neck as he presses them flush together and kisses her once more.

 

Emma buries her hands in his silky hair and tugs, causing him to moan into her mouth and clamp his other hand on her outer thigh. Emma spreads her legs a little wider, feels his erection press against her hip as his tongue explores the roof of her mouth. Killian starts trailing his hand up and down, sliding across her leg until he reaches her inner thigh, so close to where she wants him most she could scream.

 

Emma is pulled out of the haze by her phone vibrating in her back pocket. _Fuck._ Killian pulls back from her slowly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand to catch the spit sliding down his chin.

 

“You should check that. Might be important.” Killian says, his voice about an octave deeper. A shiver runs down Emma’s spine, and she feels as if she can’t catch her breath. She’s also hit with the overwhelming urge to punch him in the face because he looks so smug and self satisfied, but she doesn’t.

 

Emma sits up and pulls her phone out of her back pocket, slightly unsteady. Killian watches her with a hopeful, endearing smile. She doesn’t hesitate to throw the pillow at him this time. It hits him directly in the face, and he looks affronted as he runs his hands through his hair, attempting to fix his disheveled appearance.

 

Emma pays him no mind as she types in her passcode and clicks on her messages. It’s from Ruby.

 

**_good luck on ur test tomorrow morning hope u get some sleep sorry for stealing the room for the nite promise ill make it up to u!!! xoxo_ **

 

Emma groans before typing out her reply:

 

_if u were really sorry u wouldn’t make me sleep in the hot mans room across the hall, bitch :)))))_

 

Emma checks the time on her phone screen and curses before tucking it under the pillow.

 

“It’s almost 1am. Fuck, I really need to go to sleep.” Emma sighs, pulling the hair tie off her wrist and gathering her hair into a ponytail. She’s trying to act nonchalant, but her heart is definitely still beating erratically. Killian looks a bit put out, but he brushes off his pants and stands by the foot of her bed as he helps her get under the covers.

 

“Sweet dreams, Swan. You’ll ace that test tomorrow, I know it.” Killian smiles down at her softly.

 

“Thanks. Goodnight, matey.” Emma laughs at the disgruntled look on his face, sticking her tongue out at him before he pads across the room to his own bed and turns out the light. She falls asleep after his breaths have evened out, looking up at the star stickers on the ceiling.

 

Emma wakes up to the sound of her alarm and grunts, slowly pulling her phone out from under the pillow and unlocking it so she can shut it off. Emma sits up and realizes there’s a post-it note stuck to her forehead and a granola bar next to her. Killian must have left for his first class of the day. She peels it off and looks down at the looped handwriting.

 

**You snore. Have some brain food for your exam. You’ll do great, Lady Swan. x - Captain Killian Jones**

 

Emma bursts out laughing at the signature, covering her mouth. Don’t even get her started on another new nickname. She slips on her sneakers and her jacket, before opening the granola bar and putting it between her teeth while she looks through her bag for a pen.

 

She flips over the post-it note and writes back:

 

_I resent that. Thanks for the company. And the ice cream. Look forward to seeing you, despite the unfortunate leather pants. Aye aye, Captain! - Princess Emma (is preferable)_

 

Emma slings her bag over her shoulder and slides out of his room, closing it softly behind her and sticking the note to the front of it. She’s interrupted on her way to the exam by her phone vibrating in her pocket again. It’s another message from Ruby.

 

**_i’m taking all the credit for introducing u two. when’s the wedding ???!!!_ **

 

It makes Emma grin like an idiot, but she’d never admit it.

 

<<<


End file.
